The present invention relates to a clamping device for a cup holder for beverage containers.
In principle, various beverage container sizes on the market require means which have a high capacity for adaptation in order to position the various sizes securely. The base region of typical containers may have a diameter in the range from approximately 50 mm to more than 80 mm, and exhibits various container shapes and angles. Thus, a very flexible clamping device is required for the beverage containers. A difficulty arises whenever the region in which the cup holders are inserted generally provides very little space for the mechanism of the clamping device.
EP 1366952B1 relates to a cup holder with a container receptacle for a beverage container comprising a base and a clamping device with retaining jaws which may be radially pushed away and which protrude into the container receptacle, and which are arranged on spring elements. The spring elements are arranged integrally on a support part which is fastened to the base of the container receptacle. It is provided in this case that the container receptacle on its base comprises an undercut pin to which the support part comprising a keyhole is fastened. According to one embodiment, the retaining jaws are integrally formed on the spring elements. It may be further provided that plastic caps are attached to the retaining jaws.
An arrangement configured in such a manner is intended to provide a cup holder for a beverage container, which may be produced at the lowest possible cost, in particular for the clamping device. For easy fastening it is provided, as disclosed, that the container receptacle on its base comprises an undercut pin to which the support part is fastened by means of a keyhole. During assembly, the support part is slipped over the container receptacle such that the pin is guided through the keyhole. By rotating the support part relative to the container receptacle, the pin engages behind the support part. At the same time, the retaining jaws engage in the openings of the container receptacle, whereby they are prevented from rotating back.
DE 19529877B4 relates to a cup holder for beverage cans, cups, bottles or similar containers in motor vehicles, wherein the cup holder is fastened to internal fittings of the motor vehicle or configured integrally therewith and consists of a cup-like molded part which comprises an integrated space for inserting one of the containers and which is accessible from the top in the installed position. The cup-like molded part comprises regions of reduced inside width, wherein initially a zone of greater inside width adjoins the opening in the direction of the base, to which at least one zone of smaller inside width is adjoined. In this case it is provided that the molded part is surrounded by a clamping device which consists of a central part arranged below the base of the molded part or forming the base of the molded part and resilient arms protruding therefrom, extending along the wall of the molded part and able to be pushed into axially parallel slots of the wall of the molded part, as well as an adjustment member forcing the arms into the slots, by means of which the arms are able to be adjusted from a first position in which they do not protrude beyond the internal contour of the molded part in the slotted region, into a second position in which they protrude radially inward beyond the internal contour of the molded part, and that the arms are stepped inwardly on their flank which protrudes beyond the slots, in a manner which corresponds to the stepped portion of the regions of variable inside width of the molded part, or that by avoiding the adjustment member the resilient arms are able to be moved, by means of a container inserted into the molded part, away from a position in which they protrude radially inward beyond the internal contour of the molded part into a radially outward position counter to the spring force, so that they are supported on the periphery of the inserted container. The arms are stepped on their flank which serves to bear against the container in a manner which corresponds to the stepped portion of the regions of variable inside width of the molded part, so that the edge of the container base bears against the boundary edges of the steps.
In this case, according to one embodiment the arms are integrally formed at the free end of retaining fingers which extend from the central part as far as the opening plane of the molded part, or terminate just before this plane. The arms are oriented from the free ends of the retaining fingers parallel thereto in the direction of the central part, and are arranged between the fingers and molded part or interior of the molded part.
With such a design, a cup holder is intended to be provided which permits the positioning of containers of variable diameters in a manner which is stable and quiet. In this case, the cup-like molded part may have a region of greater inside width, for example in the vicinity of the opening, into which a relatively large cup may be inserted. A region of smaller inside width adjoins the region of greater inside width, into which cans or bottles may be positioned which have smaller diameters than a cup inserted into the first region, but larger diameters than other containers which may alternatively be positioned in the cup holder. Finally, a further zone of even smaller inside width adjoins the zone, into which containers or the like of correspondingly small diameter may be positioned. Thus, depending on the container diameter a corresponding capacity for adjustment in the cup holder is formed, whereby already a marked improvement in the stability and quietness is intended to be achieved. In order to improve the stability and quietness even further, the molded part could be surrounded by the clamping device. In this case, it could be possible by means of the adjustment member to force the resilient arms into the slots of the wall of the cup holder, so that the arms protrude on the inside of the cup holder beyond the wall of the cup holder, and could securely grip the positioned items. As a result, a very high degree of stability and a high level of quietness would be achieved, wherein the appropriate receptacle spaces are able to be provided for containers of variable diameters by means of the stepped portion of the arms corresponding to the stepped portions of the internal diameter of the cup holder.
DE 202004000618U1 relates to a device for receiving in a vehicle receptacle containers which may be filled with liquids, wherein the device comprises a container which is open on one side and which consists of a first plastic material, wherein the container comprises a base and an outer casing. The outer casing comprises elements which may protrude into the interior of the container. The elements consist of a second plastic material which has resilient properties. In this case, a spring element made of plastic material acts on each element protruding into the interior of the container, which exerts a compressive force on the element. It is provided that each spring element comprises a spring arm and a retaining arm, wherein preferably the retaining arms of a plurality of spring elements form a unit.
In such an embodiment, a cup holder for beverage containers is intended to be provided which, on the one hand, is sealed relative to escaping liquids and, on the other hand, may be adjusted for various container sizes. In this case, the inwardly protruding elements and the outer casing consist of different materials, but form a single component. The elements and the outer casing are able to be produced in a single method step in a two-component injection-molding method. Also in this case, the spring element acts via a stud on the outer face of the element, which means that the surface of the element comprises an inwardly facing boss relative to the substantially cylindrical or conical wall. This boss achieves its maximum size when a beverage container is not present in the cup holder. According to the diameter of the beverage container, the spring element is forced outward via the boss through the beverage container, so that the beverage container is able to be pushed in. In addition to the retaining function, the spring element exerts a stabilizing function which has the result that the beverage container is only able to be released again from its cup holder by overcoming a resistance. Thus, beverage containers of which the height exceeds the height of the cup holder are secured against tipping up. By means of the elements made of resilient plastic material and the spring elements acting thereon, therefore, beverage containers of variable diameter could be securely retained. Such a spring element could advantageously consist of plastic material. Spring elements made of metal or rubber and/or flexible component inserts with metal springs would result in rattling noise in cup holders for beverage containers from the prior art, due to the combination of different materials and the joins which remain when assembling more or less costly spring elements to separate retaining elements. Such rattling noise could also occur with substantially more expensive movable spring elements, as a plurality of elements could be used which would have to be displaceably mounted relative to one another in order to fulfill the function of providing a cup holder for beverage containers of variable volume.
A drawback of the foregoing arrangements, in particular, is that the spring mechanisms shown are based on a single flexible bar and only permit a rotation about the clamping point. As a result, a rounded design of the retaining jaws in the lower region is necessary in order to ensure perfect contact. The arrangement shown in DE 202004000618 U1, moreover, for plastic material requires the single flexible bar to be of very long design and namely longer than the beverage container itself, wherein the deflection of the plastic bar in the event of the usual restoring forces may result in stress whitening in this case.